Lancashire official Lee Mason handed out seven yellow cards at Anfield on Saturday, five of which went to visiting players.

He also sent off Jeremie Aliadiere for violent conduct, though Javier Mascherano was fortunate not to walk for the same offence.

Boro have now picked up 14 bookings in the past four games including nine in the last two and Southgate’s side is walking a disciplinary tightrope.

The end result is David Wheater is suspended for Wednesday’s vital FA Cup tie against Sheffield United, as is Aliadiere, who misses the next three matches.

In addition, Luke Young, Fabio Rochemback and Aliadiere are all one game away from future suspensions.

In Rochemback’s case, having already served one ban this season for picking up five yellows, he faces two games on the sidelines if he reaches 10 before April 13.

Ironically, Saturday’s game was anything but dirty, with most cards being issued for mistimed trips or niggly kicks.

After the game, a frustrated Southgate told the Gazette that an experienced official would have handled the match differently.

“I’ve got to say if we keep getting young referees at big grounds like this we will keep getting a lot of bookings,” he said.

“They are less tolerant than a more experienced official so we’ve got to take that on the chin a bit. But we’ve got to learn as well that we have to be a bit smarter in the way we go into challenges.”

The Boro certainly doesn’t believe his players are guilty of nasty or cynical challenges, adding: “There’s been some mistimed tackles and a couple of petulant things but I don’t think we are a dirty side, I think we

stand up for ourselves.

“But, as I say, when you come to these places you’ve got to be like choirboys really.”

Southgate refused to condemn Mascherano though he did think the Argentinian had raised his hands to Aliadiere, who cuffed him in retaliation.

“That’s what I thought (happened) but I don’t want to comment about another player,” he said. “Jeremie knows that he shouldn’t have done what he did and he will learn his lesson from that.”

Southgate was disappointed with the way his side gifted Liverpool two goals but was otherwise pleased with the way Boro took the game to the Reds.

He said: “We’ve given Liverpool a hell of a game and to push them to the last minute, even with 10 men, was pleasing.

“It’s a mark of our progress that the players were so disappointed to lose at a ground like Anfield, but you don’t get anything for glorious defeats so we have to learn the lessons from it.

“We had a mad two or three minute spell that turned the game on its head and they looked like they might run away with it.

“For five minutes or so we lost our shape and lost our composure but we came through that and came through a couple of mistakes we should never had made and still managed to respond and still get ourselves back into the game.”

Tonight’s reserve game between Blackburn and Boro at Morecambe has been postponed.

Tickets for Boro’s fifth round replay against Sheffield United are now on general sale, priced £15 (adults) and £5 (over-65s and under-16s).

Tickets are available from the main Riverside ticket office from 9.30am-5pm today and tomorrow and 9.30am-kick-off (8.05pm) on Wednesday.